Title/Company: Manager of Revenue Products at The Palm Beach Post

Providing a comprehensive real estate solution is now a necessity for publications of all sizes and readerships with an online presence — and for good reason. The home search has become increasingly local, as buyers want to be able to scour their local markets for the most fitting properties based on their housing preferences. Moreover, real estate agents use these online channels to promote their own brands and gain recognition as trustworthy, reputable representation in their given markets.

Cox Media Group and its four subsidiary newspapers understand the value digital real estate sections provide both consumers and industry professionals. That’s why the corporation has made it a priority to ensure buyers can easily find all listings that interest them (with their myriad details and specifications) and agents can further expand awareness of their brands to their primary audience.

Palm Beach Post Manager of Revenue Products Gerry Barker, the point person for helping Cox’s publications find a real estate provider, knew a change needed to be made with the newspapers’ sections. After hearing about one provider that has gained great reviews for its publisher services, he sought out the new solution to upgrade the real estate products and services offered by Cox’s news outlets. Here are his thoughts on using Placester’s real estate publisher platform.

1) Tell me about your role with Cox Media Group and the media properties it owns and operates.

I work primarily with the Palm Beach Post on various advertising, product-related projects, but when it comes to our real estate sections, I’ve been working on securing modern, search-optimized real estate sections for our four primary papers: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin American-Statesman, Palm Beach Post, and Dayton Daily News. We wanted to revamp these papers’ online real estate sections.

2) Why did Cox place an importance on developing modern real estate sections for its news publications?

We have always had an online real estate product for the Cox publications, but we wanted to find a cost-effective solution that featured great search technology with a special emphasis on search engine optimization (SEO). That’s when we came across Placester.

We had heard of the Placester real estate publisher platform and were able to speak with another one of their major publisher customers. Those conversations led us to look more closely at Placester’s product and learn about its advantages. We soon realized this was something that would benefit all four of our major newspapers.

3) What have you enjoyed about Placester’s publisher services? What has helped Cox the most?

One thing I really like about Placester is they do one thing and they do it really well: Real estate. Placester also places a big emphasis on SEO. It’s so important these days to offer a search-optimized real estate section that offers a great search experience while also working well with the search engines. The search technology offered through Placester for listings was very comprehensive. Visitors enter their search terms and the Placester platform clearly understands the user intent and helps them navigate the listings perfectly.

4) What benefits do you think the real estate sections have provided both agents and consumers?

Having new features to sell, like the Community Page, is a definite plus. One of the key ways we differentiate our site from Zillow, Trulia, and similar ones is the local connection and content. This really reinforces that distinction. This, along with the improved search results, responsive design, and SEO benefits, provides a far better experience for the reader as well.

5) What has the process of working with Placester been like since the project’s inception?

The communication between our team and the Placester team has been seamless. It’s been so smooth from the get-go. We had to launch four real estate sections for four different newspapers in six months — that’s a very big task to undertake on both sides, ours and theirs. We really put together our management and product teams quickly to work hand in hand with them to put all the pieces together to make the sections come to fruition in the time frame we had.

Simply put, everything worked and has worked really well with Placester from the start. Everything they promised was delivered on time. Everything they said they would do, they did. The team I worked with, including Dave Givler, proved to be responsive, and I think that’s very important that I’ve been able to reach out to them with any issues I have at any time and get prompt answers. That’s really critical, because if you don’t have solid customer support and service, the relationship wouldn’t work.

6) How would you describe the Placester publisher platform to others considering our services?

I would say Placester provides publishers leading-edge search technology that comes with responsive design, is SEO-friendly, and offers a great user search experience for home buyers. The Placester team has done a tremendous job in helping us. Even though our partnership is still in its early stages, we’re very happy to be working with them.

Learn more about Placester’s real estate publisher solution by clicking here, or by contacting us at publishers@placester.com or 617-715-3752.

]]>In addition to offering affordable, world-class online real estate solutions for agents, brokers, and publishers, providing Internet Data Exchange (IDX) integration through partnerships with the majority of Multiple Listings Services (MLS) across the United States is one of our core priorities at Placester. We’re proud to say we’re closing in on accomplishing this goal entirely, as we now provide 95% IDX coverage nationwide.

As of June of this year, Placester integrates with 561 MLSs and has partnered with more than 1,100 REALTOR® associations throughout the country. What this work means is nearly 2 million agents and brokers in the U.S. would be able to highlight IDX listings from their local MLSs via Placester websites. Moreover, 90% of the MLSs covered by Placester come with no surcharges for IDX integration setups, saving Placester customers from paying annoying fees simply to show proper listings on their sites.

We’re thrilled to be well on our way to 100% IDX coverage, and with the many other great features we’ve rolled out in recent months, we’re confident more real estate professionals will realize Placester is the perfect website solution for them and begin using our platform to enhance their online marketing.

]]>Each year, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) hosts its midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. This year, Placester was fortunate enough to attend the event, where thousands of industry members congregate to discuss housing and mortgage policy and meet and greet with like minded professionals and brands.

The main focus of the NAR Midyear conference is for the leaders of the national real estate community to convene, talk about the most important issues facing the industry, and chat about the latest and greatest sales, marketing, and tech trends. This year’s iteration included an array of useful events for Realtors of all experience levels, including:

Meetings with local congresspeople from districts covering the entire United States, during which Realtors can discuss issues related to their markets

More than 100 exhibitors showcasing back office solutions, emerging technologies, and products and services from the most recognized industry brands

Sessions aimed at educating not just agents and brokers, but also executives of the largest firms nationwide and Realtor association members

All in all, the event provides an optimal platform for industry brands and professionals from all 50 states (and even several countries) to show off their products and services, meet their audience in person, and share their expertise among one another — something the Placester team was all too happy to participate in.

“Washington, D.C. itself was the perfect city to hold the event in, partly because a focus of the conference was deciding on policy, but also because the city itself was buzzing with an energy that mirrored what we saw at the conference,” said Placester Account Manager Phil O’Connell. “D.C. is a city that feels like a place for leaders, which made it fitting for the group of Realtors and association members that had assembled at the conference.”

Placester Account Manager A.J. Ostdiek mimicked this sentiment, noting NAR Midyear proved to be a premier time to talk with notable industry members from all over, as well as our own customers who relayed their satisfaction with their Placester websites and leads who are interested in signing up ones themselves.

“The conference was a great opportunity to see clients who are currently using the Placester platform and also meet with ones looking to make a change,” said Ostdiek. “Moreover, anytime you have that many industry professionals in one place, it will undoubtedly be an excellent chance to see what’s going on at agencies, brokerages, Realtor associations, and MLSs across the nation.”

Rich McGlynn, who works with the many brokers using Placester’s brokerage solution, noted the conference provided the optimal time and place to break down the ins and outs of our new solution for those in attendance.

“Since we announced our brokerage platform after NAR Annual, the Midyear conference was the perfect opportunity to walkthrough that solution with top brokers in the industry,” said McGlynn. “Placester’s broker team was excited to demonstrate how powerful, elegant, and easy to use the offering is for brokers and their teams.”

]]>https://placester.com/2015/06/nar-midyear-wrap-up-placesters-experience-in-washington-d-c/feed/0https://placester.com/2015/06/nar-midyear-wrap-up-placesters-experience-in-washington-d-c/Protected: Placester Publisher Network Grows with Addition of Dallas Morning News and Denton Record-Chroniclehttp://rss.placester.com/~r/placester/~3/ogPWMA_lkp4/
https://placester.com/2015/05/placester-publisher-network-grows-with-addition-of-dallas-morning-news-and-denton-record-chronicle/#commentsThu, 28 May 2015 13:49:51 +0000https://placester.com/?p=17297There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

]]>https://placester.com/2015/05/placester-publisher-network-grows-with-addition-of-dallas-morning-news-and-denton-record-chronicle/feed/0https://placester.com/2015/05/placester-publisher-network-grows-with-addition-of-dallas-morning-news-and-denton-record-chronicle/Introducing Plans, Placester’s New Email Marketing Toolsethttp://rss.placester.com/~r/placester/~3/8kMSBgU1npo/
https://placester.com/2015/05/introducing-plans-placester-real-estate-email-marketing/#commentsThu, 21 May 2015 18:11:30 +0000https://placester.com/?p=17106Creating a sales pipeline starts with an effective website platform for capturing and organizing real estate leads. But turning those leads into actual transactions requires an automated system for staying in contact and keeping them engaged. Welcome to Plans, Placester’s new real estate email...

]]>Creating a sales pipeline starts with an effective website platform for capturing and organizing real estate leads. But turning those leads into actual transactions requires an automated system for staying in contact and keeping them engaged.

Welcome to Plans, Placester’s new real estate email marketing toolset that makes it easier than ever for agents to nurture each of their leads from start to finish.

With Plans, you can move buyer and seller leads through the sales cycle via drip email campaigns, sending targeted messages automatically. You can configure your own campaigns and messages, or choose from pre-configured templates designed to help you keep buyers and sellers engaged, brand your real estate business, and gain referrals from new and existing contacts.

]]>https://placester.com/2015/05/introducing-plans-placester-real-estate-email-marketing/feed/0https://placester.com/2015/05/introducing-plans-placester-real-estate-email-marketing/Placester Announces Single Property Sites so Real Estate Professionals Can Grow Business and Stand Out From the Crowdhttp://rss.placester.com/~r/placester/~3/KuXl0gqRzmc/
https://placester.com/2015/05/placester-announces-single-property-sites/#commentsThu, 14 May 2015 14:36:26 +0000https://placester.com/?p=16889Boston MA — May 14, 2015 – Placester, the real estate marketing platform, today announced the launch of Single Property Sites, website designs built specifically for promoting individual listings. With Single Property Sites, real estate professionals can easily set up and publish...

]]>Boston MA — May 14, 2015 –Placester, the real estate marketing platform, today announced the launch of Single Property Sites, website designs built specifically for promoting individual listings. With Single Property Sites, real estate professionals can easily set up and publish standalone websites to showcase unique or featured listings, creating focused marketing campaigns that appeal to a highly targeted audience and generate qualified leads.

Single Property Sites include all of the functionality real estate professionals have come to love about Placester Sites, but with the ability to highlight a single listing on its own page. Quick to setup and simple to maintain, Single Property Sites allows agents to market individual properties cost-effectively, generate better leads, and even use a street address as a unique URL. Single Property Sites lets professionals choose Placester designs, images, and copy for targeting specific buyers or sellers.

Buyers and sellers will love browsing an easy-to-navigate website focused solely on them and their home buying or selling goals. Whether they are interested in purchasing a split-level ranch, or want to work with a REALTOR® who has experience selling homes on the National Register for Historic Places, Single Property Sites allows them to see a real estate professional’s unique specialties. Interested buyers can even view open houses and schedule showings from Single Property Sites. Meanwhile, agents and brokers generate better leads by connecting with motivated buyers and sellers who will grow their business.

“Real estate brokers and agents compete with a lot of white noise when trying to connect with home buyers and sellers online,” said Placester CEO Matt Barba. “Single Property Sites cuts through that noise, allowing professionals to message and market directly to the most relevant consumers online. This is exactly why we created Placester in the first place: to foster better connections between real estate professionals and home buyers and sellers with technology.”

About Placester

Placester fuses technology and design to dramatically improve the home buying process for consumers, brokers, and agents. The Placester marketing platform provides real estate professionals with MLS integration, high-resolution visuals, responsive design, and mobile optimization, as well as marketing tools for Facebook advertising, Google AdWords, and other channels. Currently serving over 100,000 real estate professionals, Placester is the sole website provider for REALTOR Benefits®, the official member benefits program of the National Association of REALTORS®. To date, the company has raised $22 million in funding, and is backed by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Romulus Capital, and Techstars.

]]>https://placester.com/2015/05/placester-announces-single-property-sites/feed/0https://placester.com/2015/05/placester-announces-single-property-sites/Introducing Single Property Sites, A New Feature for Placester Customershttp://rss.placester.com/~r/placester/~3/hAgwHX9xmLQ/
https://placester.com/2015/05/introducing-placester-single-property-sites/#commentsThu, 14 May 2015 13:54:30 +0000https://placester.com/?p=16880When you have a high-priority listing, you need special tools to attract qualified buyers. Placester customers can now create websites that showcase individual listings with our newest feature — Single Property Sites. Whether you’re representing a listing with historic value, unusual features or...

]]>When you have a high-priority listing, you need special tools to attract qualified buyers. Placester customers can now create websites that showcase individual listings with our newest feature — Single Property Sites.

Whether you’re representing a listing with historic value, unusual features or luxury amenities, a dedicated website gives you an exclusive venue for connecting with potential buyers.

Offered in all of the same themes as Placester’s Sites, Single Property Sites (SPS) possess the essential qualities needed for success in online real estate marketing, such as responsive design, search engine optimization (SEO) capabilities, and IDX integration. These individual listing websites also offer features for creating a comprehensive introduction to the property:

Scrolling photo slideshow: Upload numerous photos of the home for sale.

Open house schedule: Share the dates and times of public showings and walkthroughs.

Social media sharing: Allow visitors to share your listing on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

Our dedicated team of designers developed an intuitive, easy-to-manage layout for SPS, giving Placester customers the opportunity to promote special listings in a unique fashion. The straightforward administration panel lets you easily find and adjust the settings of your SPS, and themes matching traditional Placester websites keeps your brand image intact across all of your sites.

]]>https://placester.com/2015/05/introducing-placester-single-property-sites/feed/0https://placester.com/2015/05/introducing-placester-single-property-sites/Placester Releases Chicago Website Theme for Realtorshttp://rss.placester.com/~r/placester/~3/-DuVwJKX28Y/
https://placester.com/2015/04/placester-releases-chicago-website-theme-for-realtors/#commentsWed, 29 Apr 2015 14:09:59 +0000https://placester.com/?p=16507Our primary objective here at Placester is offering a world-class product for real estate agents that enables them to maximize their online presence, generate countless home buyer and seller leads, and, ultimately, close more deals. One way we continue to better our products is by offering an array...

]]>Our primary objective here at Placester is offering a world-class product for real estate agents that enables them to maximize their online presence, generate countless home buyer and seller leads, and, ultimately, close more deals.

One way we continue to better our products is by offering an array of website themes that present our customers as reputable professionals and ensure their audience has the best user experience during their home and agent search. We have now released our latest theme, Chicago, an exclusive design for members of the National Association of Realtors.

Simple, elegant, and featuring all of the essential elements needed to offer buyers and sellers the information they need to research listings and representation, Chicago is yet another responsive, IDX real estate website theme agents can use to broaden their brand awareness and connect with consumers for their buying and selling decisions.

Chicago offers a sleek design that exudes professionalism, a search-optimized site structure that aids online marketing efforts, and the ability to create single-property sites. The theme also:

Allows for branding, including the addition of logos and Realtor certifications

Offers a comprehensive navigation bar and listings search function

Comes complete with social media sharing and listing favorite buttons

Provides a map feature identifying local listings on the market

Features a lead capture form to help agents turn visitors in contacts

As with all of our real estate website themes, Chicago affords agents yet another way to create a far-reaching, appealing online presence that attracts the right leads and makes an impact on their bottom lines.

]]>Boston, MA – April 29, 2015 — Placester, a marketing platform that connects real estate professionals and consumers, today launched Chicago, a new website design exclusively for REALTORS® that will be added to the platform’s existing gallery.

With seven premium themes available in its design gallery, Placester gives real estate professionals the tools they need to establish a high-quality web presence. In developing its design themes, Placester crafts every line of code with real estate marketing in mind. The platform puts a focus on clean, modern and visual sites, giving home buyers a Google- or Amazon-like home search experience. Additionally, Placester’s commitment to responsive design ensures each website will display and function seamlessly across multiple devices with different screen sizes, whether on a phone, tablet, desktop, or laptop.

Placester has joined forces with the National Association of REALTORS® to offer NAR members discounted pricing on Placester’s offerings, as well as sites with built-in NAR branding. “We’ve partnered with the Member Benefits team at NAR to make it easier for real estate professionals to launch their web presence, establish their personal brand, and begin marketing themselves online,” said Matt Barba, CEO and co-founder of Placester.

Currently available only to NAR members, the Chicago design includes a full-width slideshow for featuring beautiful images, a quick search overlay for browsing listings, and a customizable call-to-action for prompting visitors to reach out. Chicago also includes sections for featured properties, blog posts, and customer testimonials, along with a lead capture form for visitors to enter contact information.

About Placester

Placester fuses technology and design to dramatically improve the home buying process for consumers, brokers, and agents. The Placester marketing platform provides real estate professionals with MLS integration, high-resolution visuals, responsive design, and mobile optimization, as well as marketing tools for Facebook advertising, Google AdWords, and other channels. Currently serving over 100,000 real estate professionals, Placester is the sole website provider for REALTOR Benefits®, the official member benefits program of the National Association of REALTORS®. To date, the company has raised $22 million in funding, and is backed by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Romulus Capital, and Techstars.

]]>https://placester.com/2015/04/placester-introduces-chicago-website-design-exclusively-for-nar-members/feed/0https://placester.com/2015/04/placester-introduces-chicago-website-design-exclusively-for-nar-members/Placester Raises $15 Million in Series B Fundinghttp://rss.placester.com/~r/placester/~3/Fhvf6qhlPCs/
https://placester.com/2015/04/placester-raises-15-million-in-series-b-funding/#commentsWed, 22 Apr 2015 15:02:26 +0000https://placester.com/?p=16387For the past several years, Placester has been committed to helping real estate agents and brokers achieve their marketing goals. Now, thanks to a Series B investment led by NEA, we have a great opportunity not just to continue helping these professionals attain success in the years ahead, but also...

]]>For the past several years, Placester has been committed to helping real estate agents and brokers achieve their marketing goals. Now, thanks to a Series B investment led by NEA, we have a great opportunity not just to continue helping these professionals attain success in the years ahead, but also to create truly innovative tools to bring agents and brokers closer to their customers.

Many have asked what the future holds for Placester, and this is a great time to reaffirm how we think about the world. It’s clear that the web has transformed the way consumers search for a place to live. Nevertheless, Placester believes that a skilled professional will always be critical to that process. The web won’t replace our agents, brokers, brands, associations, or MLSs. Rather, it will enable real estate professionals to continue improving the home buying and selling experience. Of course, these people will need great tools to harness the power of the web, and herein lies our mission: to build software that empowers real estate professionals.

As for how we’ll accomplish this mission, you can expect us to expand our platform’s functionality and introduce some much-needed innovation to our industry — particularly in areas where Placester has already established a strong base. In fact, this process has already begun with the recent release of Leads, our new lead management system, as well as our real estate brokerage solution, which helps brokers easily track their teams’ progress. Now, with this extra capital, Placester will continue to develop new features and functionality to meet the continually growing needs of agents, brokers, and even our publication partners.